


A Real Team

by invisible_aliens



Series: Carry On Countdown 2018 [20]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Sports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 03:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17036147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_aliens/pseuds/invisible_aliens
Summary: Penny convinces Baz and Simon to join a football team.Post-Carry On.Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018, Day 20: Sports





	A Real Team

**PENELOPE**

“I miss playing football,” says Baz wistfully, looking up from his cornflakes. (I swear he spends more nights here than at his own flat.)

“Me too,” says Simon. “Miss you playing, that is.” 

Baz blushes slightly. 

“Well I don't,” I say. “Do you know how many of your games I got dragged along to? And he never said it was because of you, but when you were kidnapped, he mysteriously decided he couldn't be bothered any more.”

“I didn't know it was because of Baz!” 

“Well, there's no reason you can't play. There are local community teams you could join,” I say. Seriously, these two never think things through properly. 

Simon grins. “You totally should! It would be good for you, to get some proper exercise.” 

“It would be good for you, too. Why don't you join as well?” 

Simon's mouth is hanging open slightly as he tries to think of a reason not to. (He's become lazy since he left school.) I don't really blame him, but Baz is right, it would be good for him. For both of them. 

“You should!” I say. 

“But… What about my wings?” he says, scrambling for excuses. 

I wave my hand, dismissing his concern. “We can make them invisible.” 

  
  


**SIMON**

I can't believe Penny and Baz talked me into joining a football team. I trail awkwardly behind Baz into the clubhouse. 

“Hello,” says Baz with his most charming smile, “we were hoping to join your team?” 

And fifteen minutes later, we're on the team. 

 

A little less than a week later, we head off to the first training session. 

“Hello,” says the coach, a macho but seemingly friendly guy with a huge smile, “I'm Matthew.”

“I'm Baz.”

He turns to me. “You must be Baz's friend Simon.” 

“Boyfriend, actually,” corrects Baz smugly. 

Matthew stammers something incomprehensible, but his smile doesn't disappear. He asks us about where we like to play. 

“Forward, mostly,” says Baz. 

“We've got quite a few forwards,” he says, “but we just rotate them all around, so you’ll get a go. What about you?” he asks, turning to me. 

I shrug. “Wherever. I like midfield, though.” 

He nods. “Sounds great.” 

 

To be honest, I haven't spent much time around groups of Normals. Especially friendly Normals. Who don't know anything about what I've been through. What we've been through. Although it is nice not being around people who have already formed opinions about me before we've even met. 

It does feel like I'm hiding a dirty secret. (And I keep getting worried about my wings, but no one even glances at them.) 

I get tired embarrassingly quickly. After the training session, I lie with Baz on the grass, panting heavily. It feels good to use my body, feel my heart pounding and my legs throbbing. (Penny's right, I really have gotten lazy recently.)

 

Penny comes to watch our first game. 

“You want to come?” I say in surprise. 

She looks at me. “Of course I do! You're my friends, I want to come and support you.” 

Baz frowns slightly. “Why didn't we make you join a team as well?” 

Penny scowls. “They don't have a women's team! It's ridiculous. Apparently they don't have enough interest. Well if they turn us all away because there isn't in a team, of course they'll never get one together!”

“You could get some women together to form a team, and go talk to them,” suggests Baz. 

“Do you really think I know enough women to get enough for a team? You do know how many people you need for a team, right? At least eleven! Where am I meant to find ten other women?” 

Penny drives us to the field. We're a touch late, but it doesn't matter. We join the rest of the team to warm up. 

“I've never played in the same team as Baz before, and it's amazing. We share a hug when he scores a goal, and exchange disappointed glances when the other team does. 

 

It doesn't even matter that we lose, the two of us have huge grins when we get back into the car. 

Penny looks at us and sighs. “I'm glad you can smile. Your team is hopeless. Completely hopeless!” 

 

Our team doesn't really get any better, and we only win one or two games over the season, and that only because of Baz. We go out for a post-season celebration with the rest of the team.

“You made sure we had some respectability, at least,” says Tom, clapping Baz on the back. 

I stand awkwardly beside him. I always feel like he's more in the team than me, simply because he's a better player. 

Matthew pulls me over. 

“I'm glad you joined our team,” he says. 

“I wasn't much help,” I say. 

“Don't be like that! This team only plays for fun. And you're always friendly and encouraging. You're exactly the kind of player we need.” 

And he's right, the rest of the team do seem happy to see me, and laugh at my jokes and ask me how I'm going. It's hard at times to keep my wings out of everyone's way, but I manage. 

It's nice to be around a group of people who don't have heavy expectations of me. 

  
  


**BAZ**

I'm not an extrovert, but that doesn't mean I can't talk to people. I'm friendly with everyone on the team except Nick, but he doesn't talk to anybody with the occasional exception of Simon. I keep part of my guard up at the party the whole time. I can't have anyone finding out I'm a mage. (Or a vampire.) I'm also more responsible than Simon, so of course he gets spectacularly drunk and I have to drive him home. 

(I don't think Simon ever drank until he left school, and he always overdoes it now. Luckily, everyone takes his rambling about how “this is better than magic!” as drunken nonsense and nothing else.) 

He's starting to sober up when we arrive back as his apartment. 

“Baz,” he says, “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” I say, leaning against him. 

“Do you want to stay on the team next season?” he asks. “Because I do.” 

I smile at him. “I'd love to.”


End file.
